Astra: We're sorry it's so late! *points at Shizuko* Blame her!
Shizuko: Sure blame the "lackey"…blame her!
Astra: No! Not MY fault! Yours!
Shizuko: Yours!
Astra: Yours!
Shizuko: Yours!
Astra: Yours!
Shizuko: Yours!
Astra: Yours!
Shizuko: Yours!
Astra: Yours!
Shizuko: Yours!
Astra: Yours!
Shizuko: Yours!
Astra: Yours!
Shizuko: Grr…
Astra: Grr…
*Sounds of brawling slowly fade away as your regularly scheduled fanfic continues…*
Chapter Nineteen
An hour later, Treize and Leia were guiding their horses through the countryside.
"See, you're a natural."
Leia smiled at him.
I'm beginning to really like that smile…
"So, young lord, why have you treated your humble servant to a day in the countryside?"
"As a thank you for the humble servant's tender care while the young lord was ill."
Leia opened her mouth to answer when a flock of birds burst out of a nearby bush. Treize grabbed for the reins as his mount began to bolt.
"Woah! Slow…"
The reins slipped out of his fingers as he felt the horse rear underneath him. Treize was thrown from the back of the animal in an instant.
Landing hard on his back, Treize looked up to see a thousand pounds of horseflesh began to fall over him. Closing his eyes, knowing he would be either killed or crippled, Treize muttered a small prayer and held his breath.
Nothing happened.
His eyes snapped open.
There was his mount. Motionless.
Falling.
But not moving.
MOVE Treize!
Not pausing to think, Treize moved.
And time caught up with him.
*
Treize stared blankly as his mount struggled to regain an upright posture.
He stood up from where he lay in the dust and looked down at himself.
I thought I was supposed to be very dead right now…at least very much in pain.
He looked up at Leia and the breath caught in his throat.
The servant girl was glowing a dim gold. Ashen faced she looked up at him.
"All you all right, sire?"
Treize said nothing for a moment and then gave up on eloquence and spit out.
"Why are you glowing?"
She looked at him in alarm.
"You can see this?"
He just looked back at her.
"You can see this," she murmured.
"What is going on? What happened…something happened…" he trailed off, pointing at the horse who was now standing calmly in the middle of the trail.
Leia's eyes bored into him. "You saw the change? You saw it?"
"Then it really did stop?"
She hesitated and nodded.
"How?"
She blinked and looked around warily. "Perhaps we should find somewhere else to talk about this."
"No. This will be explained now." Treize demanded. Something unnatural occurred…I plan to figure out what it was right now…
"It is and explanation that will take…time…"
Treize grabbed his horse's reins and pulled the animal to the side of the trail.
"I think I can make the time to listen."
Leia dismounted and followed him. "Very well."
*
Treize leaned against a tree and looked at Leia expectantly. Before saying anything she sat down on the grass near him, settled herself, and sighed. She looked at him.
"I don't know where to start."
"The beginning generally works."
She sat silent for a moment, staring at her hands in her lap, and then said, "You shouldn't have seen what I did."
"What you did?"
Once again, she looked up at him. How am I going to explain this?
"With magic."
"Magic? Leia…I'm not a school boy…"
She looked at him and raised her left eyebrow. "Fine. You explain it then."
Treize stammered, "Well…I….I'm sure,"
"You're sure of nothing." Leia snapped.
Treize almost said something about the girl's impudence but decided against it. "Fine then…let's say I believed you. What did you do? Stop time?"
"Hardly. I could never manage something like that. I merely…slowed down a part of it…"
"So I could get out of the way?"
"Yes."
"So, why wouldn't I see this?"
"Magic is only visible to those being directly affected could see a spell like that…I slowed down the fall of the horse…you stayed in your normal state…"
"But I did see it…so what happened."
"Well…the only other explanation…" Leia paused.
"Yes?" Treize prompted.
"Well…the only other person who could see that would be someone else who could perform it. Some one…"
Treize waited.
"…with magic?"
Treize laughed and stood up. "I think I've had enough of this…magic is a myth…"
"No, it's not…"
"…and of it exists…I will have no part in…"
Leia grasped his wrist as he turned to walk by.
"Treize!"
He looked down at her.
"Let me show you. Give it a chance. Let me show you what you can do."
About to rip his arm out of her fingers, Treize looked down into the pleading eyes looking back up at him.
He nodded.
"Close your eyes."
He did.
Slowly the sounds around him faded away and all he could sense was Leia's hand on his wrist.
"Look inside yourself, Treize."
Look inside myself…how?
"What makes you yourself?"
Me. Well…I'm sure someone thinks I'm perfect…
"Truly."
She can all ready read me like a book…
What am I?
Full of pride.
But I believe if a man wants something done he does it himself…there is nothing more beautiful than a man fighting for what he believes in…
And I believe life is nothing without integrity…
I know several things.
That roses are the most beautiful in the morning…and red wine is best aged…
But beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
I am an idealist.
But I think my intelligence more often then not forgives my sense…love…of the dramatic…
I believe in second chances…
If only because I know I'll need them for myself…
I believe in love.
And have faith in myself.
Myself.
Something to consider.
"Open your eyes."
He did. He looked to where his hand grasped Leia's.
It was glowing.
He looked down at himself and then released his hand from Leia's grasp. He studied his hand, traced with white fire.
This was him.
Myself.
He looked to Leia. "How did you…"
"…I didn't. You did."
*
Leia and Treize rode back in silence. For the moment, Treize had nothing to say and Leia knew what it felt like to be suddenly confronted with something so strange…coming from you…
But it was different from me.
Leia knew what it felt like to have magic running through you, but when she brought it out of her self, she shimmered. Treize had…exploded…
He has so much raw power…if he could…
"What do we do now?"
Leia looked up at Treize. He had decided to break their comfortable silence.
"You try and harness it."
He stopped his horse for a moment and gazed at her.
"With your help?"
She blushed and said, "With my help…"
He smiled.
Three Months Later "No…just imagine…ack! Treize! No!" Leia shielded her eyes from the explosion. "Well…shoving your power into the object…would cause it to explode…but…that wasn't what we were aiming for…" Treize leaned back in the grass of the clearing why they were practicing his latest magical endeavors. "Must this be so hard?" "You know very well anything worth having takes work. And once you have the control…it gets easier…" Treize sat up and teased, "But I'm sure I'll never be at your level…"
Leia looked at him seriously, "No, Treize, you'll be much better…I can't teach you much longer…you've got so much more potential then I ever did…so much more to control…"
Treize put an arm around her should and pulled her closer. "We'll get through it…together."
Leia stiffened for a moment.
This isn't right…for either of us…he's a Lord…I'm…
Treize tilted her chin up to him, "Leia…"
It isn't right…but it feels right…
Leia didn't protest as Treize placed a gentle kiss on her lips, but as the kiss grew in passion she broke away.
"Treize…I'm not ready…"
"It's okay…"
Leia buried her head in his chest. Treize held her tighter, as if scared to let go.
Falling in love…is certainly going to make things harder…
She breathed in his scent of roses and leather.
But I don't think I can help myself…
Astra: *Bloodied and sporting a broken nose* Hope you enjoyed it…
Shizuko: *Also bloodied and sporting a broken wrist* Yeah…*passes out*
Astra: *grins* YEAH! Look what we go through for you! *passes out*